Knife #19 - Balisong #3 - Pay It Forward Build-Off

Erin Burke

Well-Known Member
Hey Dogs.
I just finished this knife For Lorien's Pay It Forward Build-Off over on BF.

First some Stats:
Open Length: 7-15/16"
Closed Length: 5-3/8"
Blade Length: 3-1/4" Tip to choil (flat-ground differentially heat-treated)
Steel: W2 from Don Hanson III
Handles: 6AL-4V Titanium w/ stainless hardware/latch
Inlay: Desert Ironwood
Pivots: 3/16" pivots w/ 1/4" bushings and PB washers

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I had to tweak Lorien's design a bit to get the blade to fit into the handles with enough room left over for the spring-latch assembly.


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Now I'm no Coop, and my camera-fu still needs some work. Anyone who's ever seen desert ironwood up close knows of the sparkly shimmer. I wasn't able to capture that, but this closed photo was probably my best shot of the inlays.


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As mentioned in the stats, this blade was made from Don Hanson's W2. One thing that I'd like to mention at this point is that this blade was ground VERY thin. There is a slight secondary bevel along the straight portion of the cutting edge, and the tip has a thicker wedge/bevel for stability in the poke ;)... but in the belly of the transition from the tip, the grind is basically zero ground. All that to say, this knife would probably not be my choice for a hard-use utility knife.


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This photo shows the latch assembly. The latch itself is made from a 5mm stainless socket cap screw. It's spring-loaded... I'll post a video later. The knife only locks in the closed position. When the blade is open, the latch tucks in close to the end of the safe handle.


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I felt this little addition went well with the Pay It Forward theme of the build.

Psalm 102:18
Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.

That said, it was not a simple process to get this etch to work out. Fixing a stencil to a concave surface about 1/8" wide is tricky to say the least.


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Another photo of the full knife. You can see some of the "rain" coming out of the hamon clouds.


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Another shot of the closed knife.

Let me know what you think.

Erin
 
Wow that's beautiful work, as unto the Lord! I admire the scripture reference, and am in awe of your camera-fu :biggrin:
 
Erin, that is the sweetest looking balisong I have ever seen. That blade design is excellent and the hamon is just right. Everything flows perfectly and the finish is top notch. You hit this one out of the park!!
 
Gorgeous work, Erin. I'm in that PIF too and mine isn't nearly so pretty... is it too late to bow out from shame? :D
 
Thanks for all the kind words guys.

Wow that's beautiful work, as unto the Lord! I admire the scripture reference, and am in awe of your camera-fu :biggrin:

The scripture references are something I'm planning on including on any future balisongs. Folks tend to think of people who own balisongs as rowdy, aggressive, abrasive delinquents... and sometimes that can be true. I think the scripture references convey some of how I feel about knifemaking and how thankful I am that I get to create something that I enjoy. Plus, I had a bunch of extra room on my last stencil order from Ernie. :biggrin::nothing:

I'm in that PIF too and mine isn't nearly so pretty... is it too late to bow out from shame? :D

Somehow I doubt that you're too worried... I've seen your work. I don't think you'll have to hang the shame curtains anytime soon. :thumbup1:

I can only imagin how your work will look a year or 2 from now.

:arabia: Carnac says "Probably rustier... if not kept well oiled." :s12137:

Thanks again guys. Erin
 
Erin
I'm with Denny, My favorite Bali that I have ever seen. This is gorgeous.
-A thing of beauty is a joy forever!

YKW
 
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